What is a Sinus Lift?
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It's a surgical procedure which grafts bone to the upper jaw at the position of the molar and premolar teeth.
The maxillary sinus membrane is lifted upwards to make space for the additional bone.
The sinus system has several parts but it's the maxillary sinuses which sit closest to our teeth.
You might sometimes get a toothache when you have congestion or a bad cold – this is because the pressure on the sinuses transfers to the tooth roots in the upper jaw. The technical name for this procedure is a "maxillary sinus floor augmentation" but you may also hear the terms "sinus augmentation", "sinus graft" and sinus lift surgery used. A specially trained Advanced Scarsdale oral surgeon carries out the surgery.
Why might you need this procedure
The "sinus lift" required when the quantity of bone found in a patient's upper jaw is inadequate to accommodate the length of a dental implant.
It's typically performed in advance of implant placement surgery, so to allow time for bone healing. But with some cases, both procedures may be done at the same time.
While the need for this procedure is not uncommon, not all implants placed in this region will require it.
You may need sinus lift surgery before getting Implants if:
- your jaw bone has previously been damaged, for example from trauma or a difficult extraction
- a cyst or tumour has been removed from the area
- you have suffered bone loss as a result of periodontitis
- your bone has receded because of tooth loss (the socket can lose 40-60% of its bone structure within the first three years)
- you naturally have a large sinus cavity or thin jaw bone